The Fourth
by Mieren
Summary: “Now I can stop dreaming of being Hokage.” “Why?” “Because I already was.”
1. Chapter 1

The Fourth

By Mieren

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Disclaimer: This story is weird and probably will get graphic and violent. I don't own it, so don't sue, you won't get anything.

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Teaser:

"Now I can stop dreaming of being Hokage."

"Why?"

"Because I already was."

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"Hold still!" a harsh voice commanded.

"This hurts!" a soft voice complained.

"I know and I'm sorry. But that man is coming and I don't know what I'll do."

"I know…"

"I'm so sorry. You never should have had to come to me in the first place…"

"You didn't have to take me in."

"Yes, I did. That man had no right, even if he is your elder."

"This is my fault…"

"It was never your fault. Not yours and not even mine. I knew what I was getting into when I took you in."

"They're going to kill you because of me."

"No, I'm going to kill them because of you. He had no right."

"Will this work?"

"I don't know," the deeper voice admitted. "They're coming for both of us."

"No," the soft man admitted. "They don't know about me."

"They will. Are you sure you're willing to do this?"

"Yes."

---

"We can't do anything!"

"He's still regressing, Tsunade."

"Seal him!"

"I did! He's not stable!"

"Oh God, Yondaime, what have you done?" a weary sounding blond doctor breathed.

"What do we do?"

"We… send out word that Yondaime… didn't survive, but his son did."

"Tsunade!"

"What are we supposed to tell them?" she asked wearily. "Strengthen the seal. I'll tell Konaha that the baby survived."

"This isn't right…"

"Neither is what you did, Jiraiya!" she shouted. She knew what he had done and his reasons for it, but she didn't agree with his methods. "God… send out notice that… the boy is a jail for the fox. The fourth is dead, understand?"

"What do I tell everyone about… the boy?"

"That the fourth had a son."

---

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To be continued…

What do you think? Anyone know what's going on yet? Fair warning, this will get weird and it will get weird fast. R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

The Fourth

Part Two

By Mieren

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"He was too young. You had no right to force him," Tsunade warned.

"He never said a word," Jiraiya started.

"He was a child!"

"He was an adult!"

"How many times did he run away from you?"

"I don't know…"

"Shouldn't that have been your first clue?" Tsunade shouted. "You did this to him!"

"Ssh… he's waking up."

"Yondaime?" the blond woman asked softly. "Yondaime?"

"How bad is it?"

"I don't know. He's not responding."

"Does he remember us?" Jiraiya wondered.

Tsunade looked down on the tiny blond baby sadly. "He knows us." She took a shaky breath. "He won't for long." She performed a long series of intricate hand symbols.

"Wake up… Naruto."

---

"Naruto! Wake up!" a loud female voice demanded. The blond snorted himself awake.

"What?" he asked groggily.

"We're on a mission, dobe," Sasuke reminded him coldly. Naruto huffed at him indignantly.

"Wake up, Naruto," he mimed irately. "Start the fire, Naruto. Naruto, it's your turn to get breakfast. Shut up, Naruto…"

"Shut up, Naruto."

"Shut up, dobe."

_I should just kill them._

"What?" Naruto answered aloud, unheard by his teammates. Silence answered. No one answered for several minutes and the blond nervously shook it off as his imagination. He couldn't even blame the fox. The fuzz bucket didn't order him around very often and he never referred to himself in the first person. Blue eyes slowly returned to the clear stream before him. He reached out to the water…

"NARUTO!"

Squawking, the blond plunged into the icy water, breakfast forgotten.

"WHAT?" he roared back.

"HURRY UP! WE'RE NOT EATING BREAKFAST RAW!"

"Stupid little runt," Naruto muttered, spearing half a dozen fish on one arm, too angry to notice his sudden burst of speed and accuracy. "You're lucky I let you eat." His mind temporarily clouded over, wondering where the violent thoughts had originated.

"Lucky I let her eat?" he echoed, confused. He shook his head fiercely. "No. It's just stress. I'm not going to hurt her." Huffing to himself, he returned to camp and started cleaning the fish he had caught. He was sheering the meat from the fragile bones when Sakura started in on him again.

"Hurry up, runt, we're all hungry," she sneered.

"Fine," Naruto hissed, suddenly out of temper. He threw a few logs into a pile and skewered the fresh flesh onto thin skewers. "Burn!" Instantly, the campfire lit up in an inferno, a backwash of ash and char covering Sakura, much to his amusement. Kakashi gave him an unnerved look but said nothing.

"You little brat!" she yelled. Blue eyes glittered dangerously. Nails started to sharpen but the blond held himself in check, confused by his sudden hostility.

"Naruto, you must refrain," Kakashi interrupted. Naruto huffed but remained silent. He had already refrained from killing the annoying girl. Pulling in his temper, he resumed cooking the fish he had caught for the group.

While Naruto was off working, Kakashi cornered the remainder of his students.

"Listen. You know that this is an S class mission, but not why we were assigned to it. Naruto doesn't know yet," Kakashi said softly, his eyes trailing where he had last seen the little blond. "He is the mission."

"Why?" Sasuke asked slowly. "S class missions are only for executions."

"It has to be done," Kakashi intervened. "And judging by his behavior, it has to be done soon before he kills someone."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"He's dangerous… and you'll know why when we start."

"If this is something serious, why didn't we just take care of it in Konaha?" Sakura asked.

"He's not dangerous and you're not going through with it," Sasuke stated, interrupting the other two. He glared at his pink-haired teammate. "How can either of you even consider it?"

"It's our mission. The only thing we need to consider is not getting hurt."

"What's to hurt?" Naruto drawled, reentering the conversation a little more calmly than he had left it.

"How much did you hear?" Kakashi asked, alarmed.

Naruto nodded him off to the side to take his teammates out of the conversation. The silver-haired man followed him willingly. The duo stopped just out of hearing range. It didn't escape the blonde's attention that his formerly powerful teacher was watching him as if he were a snake.

"Yes?" Kakashi prompted.

"I know something's wrong," Naruto supplied. "I just want to know what."

"What do you know, Naruto?"

"I know that something's wrong," the blond stated again, icy blue eyes hard. "And you aren't giving my any straight answers."

"We're just on a mission…"

"Liar."

"Liar?" Kakashi echoed. "Then why are we wandering in circles in the woods?"

"You let Sasuke lead?" Naruto asked sarcastically, scowling slightly.

"What is it you think is wrong?"

"Fuck…" Naruto hissed. "I don't know! All I know is that you're all acting strange!"

"Aren't I always strange?" Kakashi asked patiently, not letting his fear show through. His fingers were trembling slightly in his vest. He didn't draw a weapon yet, but he was ready in case Naruto did.

"Yes…" Naruto admitted. "Just…. What's happening?"

Kakashi sighed. "We have to discuss this later."

"Why?"

"Because we're on a mission. Trouble could find us anywhere."

Naruto hissed and stormed ahead. He vanished into the trees. Seeing him depart, his other two students approached the older man. His visible eye was grim.

"We need to hurry. He's about to snap and we're still too close to Konaha."

"What will happen?" Sakura asked warily.

"If we're not careful enough to kill him in the first hit or two, he could blow out a hundred mile radius."

---

"Is the seal weakening yet?" Jiraiya asked.

"It seems to be. Naruto… is showing signs," Tsunade sighed. "This is dangerous, Jiraiya. Kakashi is too scared to do it and the others are unwilling and too weak."

"We don't have a choice. I couldn't get close enough to do it," the hermit said.

"You were close enough once," Tsunade accused. "It's your fault that the Fourth started a war. And it's your fault that Naruto will start another."

"How was I supposed to know?"

"The same way any teacher knows!" Tsunade shouted. "Making him Yondaime wasn't enough to keep him alive! You never should have raped him, Jiraiya. You were his teacher and you knew about him. When Naruto finds out, it will be his father all over." Father. What a laugh.

---

Kakashi wiped his sweaty palms on his black slacks. He cleared his throat softly, causing Sasuke and Sakura to fall back beside him.

"Throw anything you want. No matter what, don't touch him," Kakashi hissed.

"Don't touch who?" Naruto asked. He never saw the shuriken that killed him.

---

To Be Continued…

It's only going to get weirder before it gets better for Naruto. R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

The Fourth

Part Three

By Mieren

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The backlash was instantaneous.

Sasuke had seen Hell before. Hell was coming home from school to find an ocean of blood, pieces of friends and family floating in the gore. Hell was staring into the eyes of a madman who had made him relive the memories of killing everyone he loved. It was staring into his best friend's eyes while he tried to rip out his heart.

Hell was the forest.

He knew he was hit the moment that Naruto opened his mouth. One moment, the blond had been staring at them in shock, his fingers resting across his chest as if trying to stop the blood already pooling in his shirt from a heart wound. Everything started to slow down as the blond opened his mouth and the world went white.

A shockwave swept across the three ninja throwing them to the ground. Sasuke could see the dust and smoke rising in a perfect ring around the bloody ninja, billowing outwards silently. He felt it biting into his skin and then he heard the echoing boom. The blast knocked him to the ground and left a long trench as he slid across the dirt and biting roots. He was barely able to tumble enough to avoid a falling tree, one of many. Smoke filled the air, too thick for even the Sharingan to unravel. Several loud cracks alerted him to the demolition of more trees and he was quick to roll away, only slightly hindered by his loose clothing. Frowning, he focused on his hearing, frustrated that it wasn't one of his strong suits.

Sasuke could hear a baby crying. He blinked soot-blind red eyes, trying to remember. Baby? There were no babies. He was in the middle of the forest watching his best friend die, apparently by exploding. Who was crying?

"Kakashi," he called, his voice breaking in the middle of the name. He cleared his throat and tried again with no better results.

"Find the body!" a gangly looking teenager yelled at him. Sasuke blinked at the stranger, not recognizing him. Realization slapped him in the face when he spotted blatantly mismatched eyes. He let his gaze roam to the source of the crying infant.

"If it has pink hair," he started to grumble, stopping mid-sentence. It did.

"Forget her for now! Find Naruto! I need a confirmed hit!"

"I saw him hit," Sasuke called out. "You saw him hit. And if Sakura would stop crying, she saw him hit." Kakashi scrubbed sweaty silver hair out of his face and gave him a flat look.

"Then where is he?"

Sasuke had no answer.

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To Be Continued

It just gets worse… R&R!

Long chapters or fast ones. Your choice. Still R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

The Fourth

Part Four

By Mieren

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"Kiba…"

"Naruto!" the dog-obsessed boy exclaimed, catching the bloodied figure in front of him. The blond was clearly hurt, horribly disoriented, pale beneath his tan, and shaking almost violently. He was stark naked and his eyes were wild. "What happened?"

"Hide me… please…"

"Yeah, sure," the brunette promised, pulling his friend into his house. "What's going on?" Blue eyes filled with unshed panicked tears.

"I don't know," Naruto groaned. "I was a target of an S class…"

"Shit man," Kiba said. He wanted to flinch away from the jagged wound on his friend's chest. He couldn't understand. Why was Naruto a target? Where was his team? Screw that, why was he naked? "What happened?"

"Mission… S class…"

"I know that, but why you?"

"Don't know… Kakashi did it…"

"What! Shit! You need to tell the Hokage," Kiba said, completely off balance. Now he was completely baffled and Naruto just wasn't making sense.

"NO! Bitch ordered it!" Naruto exclaimed. The exertion caused him to slump, his friend catching him reflexively. Kiba pulled him inside his house.

"What did you do?" he asked urgently. Blue eyes dropped.

"I don't know…"

"And why do you stink?" Always tactful as sarcasm would allow, the Inuzuka clan. Naruto snapped.

"Maybe it's the five inch sucking chest wound!"

"Sorry," he muttered. Though he didn't understand, he slipped one arm around his blond friend and helped him out of the night and the public view. "Come on. I'll patch that up. I'm not that great with a needle, but if you're out for S class, this is the best I can do."

"Thanks."

"In the morning, you owe me an explanation," he groused.

---

"You're sleeping in Akamaru's bed," Kiba stated bluntly. Naruto grunted. "Okay. Let's try this again. Why are you sleeping in Akamaru's bed?"

"You kicked me out of yours," the blond sleepily reminded him.

"You were snoring!"

"Then why are you asking me why I'm over here?"

Kiba pinched his nose. "Then why are you still asleep?"

"Sucking chest wound. Yeah. That sounds good."

"Smart ass," Kiba grumped. He started to lift the blond with one arm before dropping him as though his hand was scolded. "The hell?"

"What?"

"Naruto… why is your skin smoking?"

"I know this why? I think Kakashi does, though."

"Naruto, I can't help you," Kiba started.

"WHY?" Naruto cried, terrified. Kiba was the only person he knew to turn to. His own friends were trying to kill him. The other boy continued as if the blond hadn't said anything.

"Until you tell me what's going on," he finished. "If your own team tried to kill you, you must have really pissed someone off."

"I don't remember," Naruto admitted. It had happened too fast. One moment, he was on a mission with no details, and the next, he was the mission. There had been pain. He remembered screaming, but he didn't know if it was him. He had watched as his friends fell back. Light. The stench of burning flesh. "Oh God… I think I killed Sasuke."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Kiba exclaimed. "How?"

"A tree hit him…"

"A tree?" the dog-nin asked, brow scrunching up. "Are you telling me you hit him with a tree?"

Visions flashed behind blue eyes. Sasuke had fallen back and skidded out of sight. Kakashi had collapsed. He couldn't see Sakura. A baby was crying. There was fire. The flames were everywhere and his skin burned.

"I don't know anymore," Naruto sobbed. His body was on fire and none of his limbs moved properly. He was scared and confused. His legs hurt. His back hurt. All of the hair had burnt off his body except for his head, even his genitals. He couldn't remember what he had done with his clothes or weapons. His brain had shut down to the point that anything beyond simple reasoning fell far beyond his grasp. No wonder Kiba had been looking at him as if he were insane. Why he was still looking at him like he was insane.

"Then we need someone new to help you," Kiba muttered. "Someone who likes you and won't try to dice you to bits. Any names come to mind?"

"Hinata," he breathed. "Or Neji."

"The Hyuuga," Kiba laughed mockingly "That's safe."

"I need someone to see whatever it is that's wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Something… my back…"

Confused still, the dark-haired boy diligently rolled his friend onto his stomach. He had already cleaned up the blond the previous evening and nothing had been wrong with his back. Or anywhere besides the gaping wound in his chest. He pulled up the borrowed shirt and sucked in a stiff breath.

Naruto's back was almost unrecognizable as living tissue. Two identical gashes ran the length of his back from shoulders to hips, blackened and peeling away from the injuries. The flesh was swollen and raised for several inches around each split, deep blue striations streaming from all directions, heaviest from the upturned skin.

"Naruto… I have to take you to a doctor."

"No."

"This is beyond my ability to help," Kiba said forcefully.

"You can't take me in!" Naruto said, pulling away from his friend. "The hospitals won't help me. Kiba… I'm a missing-nin."

---

"This is not funny," Kakashi muttered. He took a clumsy swing at Jiraiya, who had yet to stop snickering at his predicament. "And you're the last person who should be laughing!" he yelled. "You did this!"

"Sorry," the older man managed, not meaning it at all. The harsh reminder did serve to sober him up. He winced and turned his gaze away, ashamed. "But you have to admit, this is Naruto's style."

"We thought it would have the reverse effect," Tsunade tried to placate. "We had to send someone young." The teenager in front of her scowled. It was almost cute.

The three-person team had taken the brunt of Naruto's unintentional attack. Expecting them to age horrifically, Tsunade had sent in the youngest people she could find that she thought capable of dealing with Naruto. Of course the blond hadn't exactly cooperated. Kakashi, an experienced jounin in his thirties with a noteworthy height, was now glaring up at her, pouting that he was in puberty again.

Sasuke scowled, nearly causing the sour silver-haired teenager to smirk. The poor chuunin was stuck in early childhood, appearing young enough to enter ninja academy for his first day. He didn't even come up to Tsunade's hip. He had stopped making faces at her for the obvious reason. She wouldn't stop laughing. He glared harder. She had no right to laugh at him. She had ordered him to murder his best friend and now Naruto was missing, injured, and everyone else was trapped under some strange jutsu. At least he and Kakashi had gotten off somewhat lucky. Sakura was in diapers.

"So when does this wear off?" Sasuke asked. His voice squeaked.

"In about ten years for you."

"That's not funny," Sasuke deadpanned. "And for God's sake, you of all people shouldn't be laughing. You ordered me to kill my best friend!"

Chocolate brown eyes closed. "I know," Tsunade sighed. "But it's either laugh at you or cry for what I've done." She opened her eyes but didn't raise them. She didn't dare lest the tears slip down her face. "Sasuke…"

"What?" he asked testily. Two tears fell to the floor. Tsunade's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Naruto Uzumaki died over eighteen years ago."

Jiraiya clenched and unclenched his teeth several times, looking away before he spoke.

"I'm the one who killed him."

---

To Be Continued…

This was typed in a rush to try to explain what my demented mind wanted earlier. I have the whole plot down in my head. It's just so weird that I don't even make sense to myself half of the time. I'll try to explain it all, I promise. This was all started by a weird dream I had after watching too much anime, like most of my stories. Please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto yelped for the umpteenth time in the last minute. Kiba smacked him resoundingly in the back of the head.

"Be quiet!"

"What do you want me to do? This hurts and I can't even move!" Naruto snapped.

Glaring briefly, Naruto settled back down to a slumped sitting position, his back facing the larger man. The dog-nin had attempted for hours to convince his friend to go to someone for medical treatment when the announcement was made. Naruto was officially a missing-nin with a substantial bounty on his head, a larger fee than for even Itachi. He was pronounced to be dangerous and violent. Every soul with a blade was after his blood save a select few who couldn't grasp the concept of a bloodthirsty Naruto. Kiba. Iruka. Neji. Hinata. Shino. Shikamaru. Chouji. Lee. Perhaps Sasuke if he could forgive the blond for what he had done.

In the distance, Gaara and his siblings frowned in disbelief. Temari and Kankuro thought that the blond was too innocent a soul. Gaara knew what had happened. No one had said a word to them, but they knew. Gaara knew. He could feel it in his bones.

"OW!"

"Hold still!" Kiba corralled again. "My parents can't find you here!"

Reluctantly, Naruto settled back down on awkwardly folded legs, length and joints shifting by the day, to allow the brunette to continue torturing him. His back was only getting worse. The wounds grew deeper and more infected by the day. Any stitches placed ripped free within the hour. Red and amber were beginning to show through the deep wounds, accented by the blue striations streaming from the lacerations that had appeared from nowhere. Although horrified that his friend seemed to be rotting, Kiba was gently trying to keep the gashes cleaned and bound. Another swipe of a washcloth found him holding a handful of melting skin and he bit back on his gag reflex. The blond winced, forcing himself to remain still and quiet.

Kiba frowned. "There are bones in here." He pressed at the injury, grasping an ivory white tip that appeared and pulling it free with ease, a few amber and crimson wisps following, seemingly connecting to the bone, silken and for now unstructured. Naruto gasped and hunched his shoulders against the pain. His expression turned hopeless.

"Can you… remove them?"

"Bones?" Kiba asked incredulously. "These are bones! Either I remove them trying not to hurt you, or they're supposed to be there and I'm hurting you."

Naruto dropped his head. "Are they supposed to be there?"

"No… I mean I don't know. How should I know?" he asked, frustrated.

"Then pull them out," Naruto grated, ignoring the fiery pain radiating from his wounds. The first one slid for a millimeter before the tissue around it held it back. It twitched pointlessly. Kiba frowned and decided to treat it like a Band-Aid. He got a good grip and yanked.

Naruto shrieked, curling away from him.

Kiba's commands for him to hold still and be quiet were lost on his ears. He could only hear rushing air, blue eyes blanking as old memories flashed behind the brilliant orbs. He could feel only pleasure as he rested, pleased eyes trailing to the cerulean skies above and the vibrant greens and rich browns below. Slick air soothed his body and he closed his eyes in rapture. He cried out in glory. These were his people. This was his land.

Naruto gasped, the vague memory vanishing on gossamer wings.

"Now what?" Kiba demanded irately.

"I have to go!" Naruto hissed forcefully at him, scrambling out of the tub and making a break for the door.

He was stopped abruptly by his friend's mother and aunt, their dogs presents and growling. Reflexes had him drop into a fighting stance, though he looked rather pathetic. He was wearing only boxers, bleeding from numerous places, and trying to protect Kiba somehow from his own relatives. He couldn't even stand straight, dropping to all fours because his legs had become twisted and malformed. He could still hiss, growl and spit, and he took the opportunity to prove it. He issued a deafening roar that reverberated through the whole house and held the attacking dogs at bay.

"Kiba!" his mother cried out, attempting to pass the blond.

"He's fine. I wouldn't hurt a friend," Naruto growled, surprised by the guttural quality to his voice. In the corner of his eye, he could see the terrified boy. He changed tactics. "I made him stay," he lied, kicking his friend unobtrusively when he started to deny the claim. "He can go if I can go."

"And what would you do?" his aunt asked carefully.

"Just leave," Naruto panted. He was already in too much pain. His mind was muddled and he couldn't keep track of time. His boast that he could defeat the two Inuzuka women was a complete lie. Akamaru could best him. Lines of blue were already running from his back to across his chest, proving that he was no match for any battle.

Deciding to bluff, he took a menacing step forward. It might have frightened the two older women if his leg hadn't split and chafed off a mass of flesh larger than his hand. Light flashed before his eyes and he closed them instantly. He didn't want to hurt these women. He sank to the floor. He barely noticed the tension dropping in the room.

"You're dying," Kiba's mother said softly.

"I can't die!" Naruto snapped. He blinked when sudden odd memories faded from his mind, blue eyes turning introspective. "Can I?"

Although perplexed, the woman continued. "I don't know what you did, but the seal is broken and you can very well die." It did not escape Naruto's attention that she had a kunai in her hands and a vicious dog at her side. At an unspoken command, the duo rushed the downed teenager, followed quickly by Kiba's aunt and dog.

"NO!" Naruto bellowed, slapping his aching hands to the floor. A blowtorch of flames shot towards the two women and dogs, forcing them to scatter. Eyes misty, he stepped back to Kiba while his mother and aunt reconvened a good distance from him. "Help me," he begged. "I don't know what's happening."

Kiba slowly shook his head, giving up on his former friend. "Figure it out on your own."

"Kiba…"

"You attacked my mother and aunt," he said thickly. "You're lucky I'm not out for you're your blood as well."

"Kiba… Leave," Naruto breathed. "I'm going to kill them."

"Why?" Kiba demanded. "They're not fighting!"

"Neither am I," Naruto huffed, starting to curl in on himself in agony. Something was very wrong and he didn't know what to do to fix it. Agony ripped through his back and legs and he cried out. Cracking noises ripped through the room, lost on deaf ears as the blond lay prone.

"I'll leave," Naruto rasped. "Just… let me get up." As he uttered his final word, blood gushed from his back, soaking the floor. The two adult dogs stepped away. Akamaru just whimpered, uncertain and scared. Kiba looked at his mother and aunt pleadingly. This was his friend, in pain and dying.

"You know who he is," Kiba's mother stated softly.

"I know," his aunt answered. "But we can't let it happen again."

Kiba's mother looked at him sternly. "He can stay, but it's your job to take care of him. If he becomes violent," she paused, eyes saddening. "Take his head. That's the only way to end it for him."

"Mother…"

"This is not a debate!" she snapped.

With that, the two women left the room with their dogs in tow. They knew the danger. Only hope left the blond with Kiba, praying to everything they'd ever believed in that this time would be different if someone stayed with him.

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To Be Continued…

Sorry for the long time in updating. I've been spending all of my time trying to find a job. Forgive me and R&R?


	6. Chapter 6

The Fourth

Part 6

By Mieren

---

Kiba had been rather incensed about cleaning the blood from his bedroom floor. His temper only settled when he noticed that Akamaru had finally crept up to the fallen blond and licked his cheek a few times in worry. The prone boy lifted one arm to gently pat the dog on his back. It did not escape Kiba's notice that his hand sported claws and his forearms seemed to be roughed up for no apparent reason. The ill chunin suddenly curled in on himself.

Naruto's scream shook the walls of the house. Akamaru leapt away and promptly vanished under the bed. Kiba's mother's and aunt's dogs appeared out of nowhere, snarling viciously but not daring to approach. Naruto issued a roar that nearly deafened his friend and his pup, causing both trained nin-dogs to retreat at top speed with their tails tucked beneath them. The blond huffed at their cowardliness.

"Naruto?" Kiba asked carefully. The blonde's legs were twisted in horrible directions, hints of red coloring tinting his skin, smooth as silk. His back did little more than seep blood occasionally. The strange bones poking through the gruesome slits in his friend's back had lengthened considerably, nearly reaching his ankles. There was some shading and coloration to the skeletal structure, gold, amber and red.

"This is too soon," Kiba's aunt said, eyes locked on the prone blond.

"He's too young," his mother agreed. "If he remembers now…"

"Quiet!" Kiba's aunt snarled, eyes flicking towards her baffled nephew. The dog-nin tensed, expecting to be caught before he could save his friend. "Remember what we discussed last night?"

"Yes."

"We have no choice," Kiba's aunt said as she left the room with his mother, muttering almost inaudibly. "S."

Kiba froze for a moment. S? They were going to kill his friend! Mindless of why, he snatched two duffel bags and a shoulder pack, stuffing the two duffels with clothes, a tent and blankets.

"Akamaru!" he called, receiving a whimper for his orders. "Take this." In his palm, he held out a soldier pill that the pup swallowed obediently. "Raid the fridge. Bring back enough to fill this." He waved the shoulder bag. The tiny dog made a tiny sound but disappeared instantly to follow his master's orders.

Kiba was too busy to watch as his canine returned time and again to fill the large bag. The dog-nin had only sent his pup since the little thing was less likely to be watched. He was busy attaching harnesses to his muscular frame to be fitted with every weapon he owned. By the time he was done, he was twice his weight in weapons. The hefty armory bothered him little, nor did the fact that he would probably have to carry Naruto out of the area.

Taking out a piece of parchment, he started to scribble out a simple mission, matching his handwriting to a mission he had received the previous week. Crunching up the paper, he tried again, sure to get the handwriting and format correct this time. Satisfied, he tucked the parchment into his vest and looked to his friend.

Thinking of the blond, he found a third duffle bag and started to maneuver the smaller malformed ninja into it while Akamaru finished filling his shoulder bag. He was grateful that neither his mother nor aunt had noticed his pup completing his task.

"In with Naruto," Kiba commanded Akamaru. "Tell me if he's getting worse." The white pup whined in response but did as commanded and climbed into the bag, resting gently against the blonde's side, careful not to hurt the bony projections from his back. The dog-nin zipped up all of the bags and slung them across his shoulders, grunting under the weight.

It wasn't even close to dark, but Kiba knew that there was no use. S. If he wanted to save his friend's life, he had to move quickly. He moved evenly down the stairs, hoping not to draw attention to himself. His luck seemed to be absent when his mother called out to him as he neared the front door.

"Where are you headed with all that?" she called.

"Called on a C class quite a ways from here," he responded in what he prayed was a normal tone.

"Where's Akamaru?"

Crap.

"He's in my shirt again," Kiba lied. "I'll be back in about two weeks. Don't worry. It's only C class, but it's just a ways away from here."

"Where are you going?"

Well, shit. She was not going to make this easy.

"I was just going to follow the map they gave me. Don't worry. I am a chuunin," he laughed, sauntering out the front door before she could say more. "It will take more than a C to phase me." He departed quickly before she could respond.

Fully armed and carrying three duffels and a shoulder bag, Kiba expected to be stopped at any moment by either a jounin or an ANBU. He wasn't disappointed. Almost to the front gates, a masked ANBU dropped in front of him.

"What is your reason for departing?" the man demanded softly. Trying to keep from panicking, Kiba fished out his forged note and handed it over to the stronger ninja. The ANBU saved him unknowingly, merely glancing down at the orders without reading them other than noting a C class rating before returning the leaf of paper. "Rank?"

"Chuunin," Kiba answered. The last thing he wanted was to tick off an ANBU.

"Why C?"

"It's a long mission and the Hokage didn't want someone less experienced to run into possible trouble," the dog-nin explained, trying to sound bored. The ANBU grunted and stepped aside to allow the younger ninja to depart.

Kiba walked calmly out the gates, desperately trying to maintain some sense of calm as he walked away until he was far out of sight. The moment he was out of vision, he bolted, and struggling under the weight he was carrying. His own weight in weapons, a shoulder bag of food, two duffels of supplies and one duffel carrying Naruto and Akamaru. Carrying five times his weight, he had to strain his chakra to get away. His close friend was under orders for an S assassination. He was dieing. Even his own family was trying to kill him, even knowing that it was their own relative's closest friend.

Kiba ran at full strength until nightfall. By then, he was exhausted and more than willing to stop to rest for the night.

First thing first. Kiba set down his luggage and unloaded his duffel containing an unconscious Naruto and whimpering Akamaru. The dog-nin set up a small fire and prepared a few of the goods Akamaru had gathered for them. He set up a skewer to roast a few previsions while he set up the small tent he had packed.

Akamaru was exalted to eat anything offered to him. For a little while, Kiba tried to feed Naruto, but every effort resulted in the blond choking on every bite. Sighing, the dog-nin opened a canteen and let a few drops of water into his friend's mouth. The drips slid down the blonde's throat encouraging Kiba to continue until he had at least a pint down the teen's throat. If he couldn't eat, he had to at least drink.

Settling the blond back to the ground, Kiba was astonished when one of the bony projections lying flat along Naruto's back lashed out violently, throwing him back forcefully. Dark eyes widened when he saw that the bones were covered in gold and amber fluff. He landed roughly on his back and skidded a little ways before hitting a tree.

Blue eyes cracked open, taking hold of the situation.

"Kiba?" he asked raggedly.

"Naruto? You're awake?"

"Now I can stop dreaming of being Hokage," Naruto managed, completely off tangent.

"Why?" Kiba asked carefully, going along to evade further injury.

"Because I already was."

----

To Be Continued…

This is only going to get worse for Naruto. Please R&R if you want further story. --


	7. Chapter 7

The Fourth

Part 7

By Mieren

----

#flashback#

"_You're not my pupil anymore," Jiraiya sighed._

"_I can't win this and you know it!"_

"_What about your own students?" the older man asked._

"_They'll be fine. Kakashi is a genius. He can hold out and protect the others." A blond head hung low, his chin resting against his chest._

"_Then what do you suggest?" the sannin demanded._

"_Train me again," the blond panted. "Abuse me."_

"_NO! I will not hurt you!" Jiraiya yelled._

"_Kyuubi will destroy Konaha," the young man begged. "I'm not human. You know that. He knows that. If he knows what I am, he may side with me and then I can kill him."_

_Jiraiya floundered. "And you?"_

"_I can hold him, but you must find a way to kill an immortal."_

"_NO!"_

"_We don't have a choice! One life for an entire village." Stated so simply, the choice seemed simple that it hurt to hear. "No ninja would do less."_

"_This still seems wrong," Jiraiya whispered._

"_I'm the only one that can do this!"_

_Eyes watering in loathing of what he was about to do, Jiraiya reluctantly shot forward, beating the life out of the blond man who made no move to defend himself. Only upon sensing that the man was almost dead did he back down. Blackened but grateful eyes looked up._

_Golden wings sprouted from the blonde's back, ripping his shirt. He flapped them once to make sure that they still worked. A single tear slipped down his tanned complexion._

"_Thank you," he said honestly._

_Unfurling the massive golden wings, the blond took to the air, vanishing instantly. The sannin watched him go, his heart breaking. His most promising student had gone to battle innocuously with the Kyuubi. And it would cost him his life. Jiraiya sank to the ground and covered his eyes with his hands, trying to hide the fact that he was crying._

_---_

"_You," Kyuubi called, sensing the incoming form. The winged man landed harshly on purpose, lying in the dirt._

"_They… they know what I am," he gasped. "They tried to kill me."_

"_Can you run to help?" the fox asked. The blond before him was no human and he held no grudges against other beings of the supernatural._

"_My sensei… I may be able to go to him," the blond rasped. The sannin had not gone easy on his ribs and he was certain that a few were broken. The fox rubbed his cheek against the winged blond._

"_Try again, little one," he entreated. "I don't know if I could help you. The village hates me and I fear that showing myself would lose us both."_

"_I'll keep trying," the winged man promised. "But if they still betray me, if it keeps going wrong, will you help me?"_

"_Of course, little phoenix. We are brothers, you and I," Kyuubi soothed. "How could I turn my back on you when you were so desperate?"_

"_Thank you," the blond breathed._

_---_

_Jiraiya sobbed as he beat the golden creature into the ground a seventh time, grateful blue eyes fixed on him the entire time. It was bad enough that he was beating his cherished student that he would soon send to his death. What was worse was knowing that he was the one that would kill him. He had studied diligently while the blond was gone the first time. He knew how to kill an immortal and it almost killed him as well. He stepped back when the poor man was nearing death a seventh time._

"_Have you found a way?" the blond rasped out of a bludgeoned throat._

"_Yes," Jiraiya answered, voice cracking. "Is this the only answer?"_

"_No ninja can beat him," the man answered, sprouting his wings. "I can control him. When it's time, kill him."_

"_Please, there must be another way!" Jiraiya pleaded._

"_I'm sorry…"_

_---_

"_Hold still!" a harsh voice commanded. Kyuubi had one paw pinning down the winged man._

"_This hurts!" a soft voice complained. Red eyes saddened and Kyuubi lifted some of his weight off of the injured man._

_"I know and I'm sorry. But that man is coming and I don't know what I'll do." Kyuubi had sworn to abide by the phoenix's requests. The winged man had made him promise not to kill his sensei._

"_I know…" the blond whispered._

_"I'm so sorry. You never should have had to come to me in the first place…" the fox whispered in sorrow._

"_You didn't have to take me in," the phoenix moaned. His cheek was nuzzled gently letting him know that the fox didn't mind._

_"Yes, I did. That man had no right, even if he is your elder," the demon murmured. The golden immortal had returned far too many times in horrible condition because of his so-called sensei._

_"This is my fault…"_

"_It was never your fault. Not yours and not even mine. I knew what I was getting into when I took you in," Kyuubi rumbled sympathetically. No man had the right to terrorize an innocent, especially not a human-like creature that meant them no harm._

"_They're going to kill you because of me," the blond groaned, cerulean eyes downcast._

"_No, I'm going to kill them because of you. He had no right," Kyuubi growled. A noble ninja and a mighty warrior had no reason to be killed for protecting what he loved. His village. His home._

_"Will this work?" a weak voice asked, terrified._

"_I don't know," the deeper voice admitted. "They're coming for both of us." The fox nuzzled the man again. He didn't want the man to die._

_"No," the soft man admitted. "They don't know about me." They didn't know he was going to throw his life away to kill a demon._

"_They will. Are you sure you're willing to do this?" Kyuubi asked gently. It would be a great sacrifice for both of them._

"_Yes." Let me end your reign of terror, monster._

_---_

To Be Continued…

Things are just about to get worse for poor Naruto. R&R! I love it and it makes me want to write more.


	8. Chapter 8

The Fourth

Part 8

By Mieren

----

_---_

#flashback#

_It had happened. Kyuubi had sided with the phoenix. After discovering that the blond could not seal the beast, he took the last option he saw possible. He merged with the demon. God and demon. The blond cried out in anguish as the monster sank into him, turning him into something not God or demon. His wings flapped helplessly while he screamed out in pain. His legs bent at awkward angles and started sprouting fiery red fur. Fangs and claws grew in._

_Cerulean eyes in agony, he called out._

"_I have him, Jiraiya. Take us."_

_The older man in this life could feel tears burning in his eyes. He lunged at the blond and held him to the ground, ripping off his clothes._

"_What?" the winged man tried to ask, only to be punched._

_It was the only way and it broke the sannin's heart. Immortals were not easily killed, tending to have the annoying habit of coming back to life. He had found a way to end the life of the golden man and it crushed his heart._

_Using a few seals to help him stay up, he raped the nude blond. Twinned tears seeped from cerulean eyes as the winged man died. Jiraiya nearly died as well when he saw the appreciative smile tugging at the still golden mouth. Kami, what had he done?_

_Blinding light filled the area, radiating from the golden wings. The strange appendages retracted and the dead man took in a lurching breath, shrinking in size rapidly._

_Tears streaming from his eyes, Jiraiya gathered his former student into his arms and ran. There had to be another way._

----

#flashback#

"_We can't do anything!" Tsunade yelled in hopelessness. The blond had saved all of their lives and would now suffer indescribable agony for it. Naruto was dieing, his phoenix blood polluted by the fox demon. Or so everyone thought. The phoenix's and fox's blood had been enough to change things. Instead of killing one another, the fox was trying to live while the sunbird was trying to die from what had happened. The phoenix was stronger. As a result, the golden and red creature was slowly fading away._

"_Seal him!" Tsunade commanded._

"_I did! He's not stable!" the white-haired sannin said. Tsunade shoved him out of the way. Only her expert skills as a healer stopped the child from shrinking further, the red fading from his golden complexion. A baby cried. A baby with whisker marks on his cheeks, the mark left from the second seal._

"_Oh God, Yondaime, what have you done?" a weary sounding blond doctor breathed. He had saved Konaha, but at what cost?_

"_What do we do?" Jiraiya asked wearily. Shizune slapped him across the back of the head._

"_We… send out word that Yondaime didn't survive, but his son did." _God, _Tsunade thought, _please never let him remember.

"_Tsunade!" Shizume yelled, sounding scandalized._

"_What are we supposed to tell them?" she asked wearily. Yondaime fused with Kyuubi then Jiraiya, a respected sannin, raped him? Oh, and here's the possible monster child that resulted._

"_Strengthen the seal. I'll tell Konaha that the baby survived."_

"_This isn't right…" Jiraiya started._

"_Neither is what you did, Jiraiya!" she shouted. Tsunade knew what he had done and his reasons for it, but she didn't agree with the methods. There had to have been a better way to save him._

"_God… send out notice that… the boy is a jail for the fox. The Fourth is dead, understand?"_

"_What do I tell everyone about… the boy?" Shizune asked, unsure if anyone would even believe her._

"_That the Fourth had a son." Turning away, no one said a word as Tsunade's hand rose to tightly grasp the gem necklace, one that Yondaime had once worn._

_----_

"_He was too young. You had no right to force him," Tsunade warned. She was heating up for a battle, one that she meant not to lose._

"_He never said a word," Jiraiya started. It was a dead lie. Yondaime had spoken to him so many times. He was cut off before he could explain._

"_He was a child!" Tsunade shouted._

"_He was an adult!" Jiraiya countered. The white-haired sannin was among the few that knew the true nature of the Forth. The phoenix had intended to sacrifice himself._

"_How many times did he run away from you?" Tsunade barked so loudly that half of the Hokage tower heard her._

"_I don't know…" Jiraiya said sheepishly. Twenty-two, his mind supplied._

"_Shouldn't that have been your first clue?" Tsunade shouted. Mentors were chosen carefully and someone had made a mistake. The blond woman gestured to the silent baby furiously, too angry to realize that her shout was making the tiny one frightened. "You did this to him!"_

_Jiraiya waved his hands to the cradle where they had placed the child. "Ssh… he's waking up." The Hokage silenced herself when she noted the other sannin spoke the truth._

"_Yondaime?" the blond woman asked softly. "Yondaime?" Inside, she plead for a response. Any response, but none came._

"_How bad is it?" the hermit asked._

"_I don't know. He's not responding." Fretting and yelling seemed to be Tsunade's two new favorite hobbies._

"_Does he remember us?" Jiraiya wondered. He stroked a golden cheek and was bitten for his efforts._

_Tsunade looked own on the tiny baby sadly. The Fourth's response to Jiraiya was proof enough of that. "He won't for long." She performed a long series of intricate hand symbols. If not for her gifts and unique skills, she might have failed._

"_Wake up… Naruto."_

_---_

_"Naruto! Wake up!" a loud female voice demanded. The blond snorted himself awake. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what. He pushed it aside. He was on a mission and he was only doing his share of the chores. Nothing seemed wrong until Kakashi threw the blade that killed him._

_---_

To Be Concluded…

I am SO sorry about the delay. I just moved 150 miles and only now have my net up as of today after being attacked and spending two days in a coma and another two in the hospital. Please tell me that you still love me and R&R!


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